The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), the Intramural NIA's current major research program on human aging, has been conducted at the Gerontology Research Center since 1958. The study continues to represent a consortium of scientists who work to characterize normal and pathological aging. The BLSA consists of a series of longitudinal and cross-sectional studies oriented toward characterizing the human aging processes. The scientific goals include identifying age associated differences among individuals and changes in individuals over time; to characterize transitions from normal to pathological aging; to determine the relative contribution of aging, disease processes, cohort effects and secular effects; to expand the scientific understanding of predictors and risk factors for specific diseases and other end points and where possible to explore mechanisms for normal and/or pathological changes. The Acting Clinical Director is the current Director, BLSA; the Longitudinal Studies Scetion (LSS) and clinical support staff administer and manage the BLSA operations and the clinical evaluations of the research volunteers. A permanent new Director for the BLSA and Chief of the Longoitudinal Studies Section, Dr. Luigi Ferrucci, has been recruited and will be joing the NIA on September 26th of 2002. Current LSS scientists have continued to conduct research with the BLSA. The BLSA Executive Committee, an internally comprised committee of GRC scientists and the Director, BLSA, is responsible for oversight of BLSA operations and research directions. The total BLSA population as of 9/11/02 includes: Active (OS): 1438 (702 male, 736 female) Active (HV, TI): 542 (286 male, 256 female) Lost to F/U: 83 (39 male, 44 female) Withdrawn: 25 (16 male, 9 female) Deceased: 930 (773 male, 157 female) Total: 3018 (1816 male, 1202 female) [OS=On site; HV=Home Visits; TI=Telephone Interview; F/U=Follow up] Over the last year, 32% of all visits were by ethnic minorities with 24% of participants being of African-American descent. Between 10/1/01 and 9/11/02, 573 participants visited the GRC for the regular 2 to 2-1/2-day visit. This includes 26 new participants. A high priority remains systematic follow-up and, over the next year, evolution of the BLSA under the study's new director.